Ty Pearce grew up working at his parents’ Bay Area restaurant. He went to culinary school before traveling and living throughout Europe. When he returned to the States, he opened his own spot in Capitola. Pearce describes Busy Bees—part caterer, part café—as “elevated comfort food.”
The “grandma’s kitchen” vibe cinnamon roll, served hot, is an instant classic. Another customer favorite is the biscuit sandwich with eggs, cheddar cheese—with bacon, sausage or greens—and sweet honey or spicy chipotle sauce. The benedict burrito, stuffed with pan-fried potatoes, eggs, ham, spinach and hollandaise. The vegan breakfast bowl is another hit, with masala tofu, winter vegetables, greens and a cashew coconut curry sauce.
After the catering side’s success, Pearce recently opened the café on Saturdays and Sundays, 8am-2pm, with plans to expand the menu and hours. There’s also a new patio area. GT caught up with Pearce to learn more about the business and his motivation.
What inspires you about cooking?
TY PEARCE: I love when I can tell someone is enjoying the food I’ve prepared—not just the taste, but also how it makes them feel. I want to cook food that I would feed my own family, that nourishes and is sourced locally. Produce is a big thing for us, and we also care about customer service and experience. Everyone that works in our “colony” naturally shares this vision.
How do the business’ two parts complement each other?
The catering and café sides work together well. We are involved in all aspects of the community. We will cater a wedding, feed them breakfast the next day at the café and then cater their baby shower in the future. It keeps us relevant, accessible and allows us to serve everything from a large corporate event to a casual breakfast for two.
Busy Bees Café & Catering,1200 41st Ave., Ste. B, Capitola, 831-854-2212; busybeescafecatering.com
Love those breakfast bowls, usually pick mushrooms, cheddar, potatoe, bacon, eggs a, avocado, onion bowl… with warm cinnamon roll and cofffee …. Yum